Pew construction



4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Filed July 12, 1961 1 f1? Venlf'or: Fay/2701704]:f'l'ouser; 63 MM Mtmor-nqgs OusE PEW CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheet s 2 Filed July12, 1961 figmanajfl er; .9

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4 Sheets-Sheet 4 May 28, 1963 R. J. HOUSER PEW CONSTRUCTION Filed July12, 1961 United States Patent Ofifice 3,091,497 Patented May 28, 1963Filed July'IZ, 1961, Ser- No. 123,451 4 Claims. (Cl. 297-45) Thisinvention relates generally to multiple seating devices, and moreparticularly to pew construction of the type ordinarily employed inchurches.

In the past, pews have been formed exclusively of wood and thus, eventhough production in substantial quantity might be involved, thecomponent parts of such prior pew constructions were required to befabricated on woodworking machinery inherently involving substantialhand labor and therefore making such prior constructions rela tivelycostly. Further and importantly, there 1s a pronounced tendency for theseat and back rest portions of wooden pews to develop cracks as the wooddries and to the best of the present applicants knowledge, nosatisfactory method has been discovered permanently to repair suchcracks.

It is accordingly an object of my invention to provide an improved pewconstruction.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved pewconstruction wherein at least the seat and back rest portions are formedof an integral sheet of rela tively thin plastic material, such asfibreglass-reinforced polyester resin.

A further object of my invention 18 the PI'OVlSlOIl of an improved pewconstruction characterized by its capability of mass production, ease ofassembly, and relatively low cost.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent byreference to the following description and the accompanying drawing, andthe features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointedout with articularlity in the claims annexed to and forming a part ofthis specification.

My invention in its broader aspects comprises two spaced-parallelupstanding pew ends respectively having at least one recess formed intheir facing sides. A seat assembly is provided spanning the pew ends,the assembly having portions respectively seated in the recesses andsupported thereby. The assembly comprises seat and back rest portionsformed of an integral sheet of relatively thin rigid plastic material,and a back portion also formed of a sheet of relatively thin rigidplastic mater al spaced from the back rest portion and defining a cavitytherewith.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective showing a pew incorporating myinvention;

FIG. 2 is a broken away exploded view in perspective of the pew of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary broken away view in perspective furtherillustrating the construction of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing a feature of theconstruction of FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing a slightly modifiedform of the construction of the previous figures;

FIG. 6 is a broken away exploded view in perspective showing anotherembodiment of my invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing still another embodiment of myinvention;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing further features of theembodiment of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 9-9 ofFIG. 7.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 4 inclusive, there is shown a churchpew, generally indicated at 10 having spaced parallel upstanding pewends 12 with a seat assembly 14 spanning the ends, as shown.

In this embodiment, the pew ends 12 are formed of wood in theconventional fashion and respectively have generally L-shaped, outwardlyfacing, channel members 16 recessed in their facing surfaces 19, as bestseen in FIG. 4; it will be seen that the L-shaped channel members 16 areinclined slightly in order to provide the usual inclination of the seatand back rest portions 18 and 26 of the seat assembly 14.

An elongated top or cap rail support member 22 is provided, preferablyformed of rolled metal so as to be generally tubular in cross-section,as shown, however, the supporting member 22 may in the alternative beformed as a piece of seamless tubing. Flange or anchor plate members 24are secured to the ends of the supporting member 22 in any suitablemanner, as by welding.

An elongated front supporting member 26 is provided likewise preferablyformed of rolled metal to form a generally tubular cross-section butwhich again may take the form of a section of seamless metal tubing.Flanges or anchor plates 28 are secured to the ends of the frontsupporting member 26 in any suitable manner, as by weldmg.

Flanges 24 and 28 of supporting members 22 and 26 are respectivelyseated within channel members 16 adjacent the ends of its legs and areheld in assembled relation by means of suitable lag screws 30 and 32respectively extending through suitable openings in the flanges 24 and28 and in the bottom wall of channel member 16 into the pew end, as bestseen in FIG. 4.

An elongated center or fillet supporting member 34 is provided formed ofmetal and having the cross-sectional configuration shown; centersupporting member 34 has an outwardly concave surface or fillet 36 and arear wall 38 having a reentrant flange 40 extending from its bottomedge. The center support member 34 is secured at its ends to the sidesof angle-shaped anchor plates 42, as by welding. The angle plates 42 arein turn seated in the channel member 16 at the junctions of its legs andthe assembly is completed by means of suitable lag screws 44 whichextend through suitable openings in the angle plates 42 and the channelmember 16 and into the wood of the pew ends 12.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the seat portion 18, back restportion 20 and back 46 of the seat assembly :14 are formed of a singleintegral sheet 48 of relatively thin rigid plastic material, such asfibreglassreinforced polyester resin. Sheet '48 has its front marginaledge 50 formed to fit over the front supporting member 26 and securedthereto in any suitable manner, as by a suitable resinous adhesive.Sheet 48 has its center section 52 conformingly engaging fillet 36 ofthe center member 34 and again is secured thereto by suitable adhesive.The seat 48 is formed to fit over the top supporting member 22, as at 54and may be, but need not necessarily be, secured thereto by suitableadhesive. The bottom marginal edge 56 of the back portion 46 engages therear wall 36 of center member 34 and has an inwardly formed flangeportion 58 which engages flange 40 of center member 3 and is securedthereto, as by suitable adhesive.

It will readily be seen that the back 46 is spaced from and defines acavity 69 with the back rest portion 20. In accordance with myinvention, this cavity is preferably substantially filled with a core 62of cellular honeycomb material. The provision of the core 62 increasesthe rigidity of the back rest and thereby provides resistance againstdepressions. It also deadens the noise which could otherwise be providedby the drum-like characteristics of back rest portion 20 and back 46.

The assembly is completed by means of fillet member 64 formed ofsuitable resilient material, such as rubber, which engages seat and backrest portions 18 and 20 at their junctions with the inner faces 19 ofthe pew ends 12.

Referring now momentarily to FIG. in which like elements are indicatedby like reference numerals, the seat and back rest portions 18 and 211on the one hand and the back 46 on the other hand may be formed ofseparate sheets 66 and 68 respectively of relatively thin rigid plasticmaterial. Here, the top marginal edge 76 of sheet 66 is tor-med over topsupporting member 22 and is secured thereto in any suitable manner, asby adhesive. The top marginal edge 72 of sheet 6 8 is joined to themarginal edge 7110f sheet 66 and is likewise secured to the topsupporting member 22 by suitable adhesive. Here, it may be desirable toprovide suitable screws 74 at spaced intervals for securing the topmarginal edge 72 of sheet 68 to the top supporting member 22.

Referring now to FIG. 6, I show a pew construction incorporating pewends 76 which are substantially formed of plastic material rather thanentirely of wood as in the case of the embodiment of FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.Here, each pew end 76 has an outer cover 78 molded from suitablerelatively thin rigid plastic material, such as fibreglassreinforcedpolyester resin. Outer cover 78 has an outer side 81) and marginal sides82 defining the requisite pew end configuration and a cavity 8 4. Agenerally L-shaped supporting member 86, preferably formed of wood, ispositioned in cavity 84 and secured to the inner surface of front side84) in any suitable manner, as by encasing it in the plastic of the pewend during the forming of the latter. It will be observed again that theL-shaped member 86 is inclined slightly to provide the requisiteinclination for the seat assembly. The remainder of cavity 84 is filledwith a core 88 of suitable cellular honeycomb material.

An inside cover member 90 is provided molded from suitable relativelythin rigid plastic material such as fibreglass-reinforced polyesterresin. Inner cover 90 conforms to the outline configuration of the outercover 78 and has a generally L-shaped recess 92 formed in its face 94.The surface of the supporting member 86 is recessed slightly from theplane of the edges of the peripheral sides 82 0f the outer cover member78 so that when the inner cover 90 is arranged abutting marginal sides82, the inner surface of the bottom wall of recess 90 abuts the outersurface of supporting member 86.

In this embodiment, the seat assembly 14 has its seat and backrestportions 18 and formed of suitable relatively thin rigid plasticmaterial, such as fibreglass-reinforced polyester resin. Here, the frontmarginal edge 94 0f the seat portion 18 is rolled over, as shown, andthe top marginal edge 96 is likewise rolled over, as shown. Seat portion18 has a depending rib 98 integrally molded thereon and an integrallyformed end wall .100. It will bereadily seen that in this embodiment theseat and back rest portions 18 and 20, rolled over portions 94 and 96,rib 98 and end walls 100 are preferably formed as an integrally moldedbody.

The ends of the seat assembly 14 of the embodiment of FIG. 6 are seatedin the recesses 92 in the inner cover members 90 of pew ends 76, itbeing observed that the generally L-shaped recesses 92 conform generallyto the outline configuration of the seat assembly 14. The components areheld in assembled relation by means of suitable lag screws 162 whichextend through suitable apertures in end'walls 1111) of seat assembly14, the bottom walls of recess 92, and into the supporting members 86.

A back 1114 formed of a separate sheet of relatively thin rigid plasticmaterial such as fibreglass-reinforced polyester resin is providedhaving its top marginal edge 166 secured to the rolled-over portion 98and having its bottom marginal edge 108 secured to rib 98, as shown. Itwill be seen that the back 1194 again defines a cavity 1 119 with theback rest portion 213 in which a core 1-12 of suitable cellularhoneycomb material is preferably positioned;

It will be readily comprehended that the seat and back rest constructionof FIGS. 2 and 3 may equally advantageously be employed with thefabricated pew ends 76 of PEG. 6.

Referring now to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, here pew ends 114 are againpreferably fabricated in the manner of pew ends 76 of FIG. 6, but may befabricated the same as pew ends 12 of FIG. 2. Here, pew ends 114comprise an outer cover 116 having an outer side 118 and marginal sides120 defining cavity 122. A generally L-shaped supporting member 124,again preferably formed of wood, is positioned in the cavity 122 and issecured to the outer side 118 in any suitable manner, as by suitableadhesive.

An elongated top supporting member 126 is provided which in thisembodiment may be formed of wood. Likewise, an elongated frontsupporting member 128 is rovided shown as being formed of two segments130 and 132, again preferably formed of wood. An elongated centersupporting member 134 is provided shown as being formed of two segments136 and 138, again preferably formed of wood. It will be seen that thecenter supporting member 134 is generally L-shaped in cross-section withthe segments 136 and 138 forming the legs thereof.

The supporting member 124 of the pew ends 114 has suitable recesses 140,142 and 144 formed in its inner surfaces conforming respectively to thecross-sectional configurations of the elongated supporting members 126,128 and 134, as shown. An inner cover member 146 is provided, againpreferably formed of suitable relatively thin rigid plastic material,such as fibreglass-reinforced polyester resin, the inner cover member146 having apertures formed therein conforming to the recesses 140, 142and 144 in the supporting member 124. The ends of the top, front andcenter supporting members 126, 128 and 134 respectively extend throughthe apertures in the inner cover member 146 and into the recesses 140,142 and 144 in the supporting member 124, as best seen in FIG. 9.

Here, seat and back rest portions 18 and 20 are formed from a singleintegral sheet 159 of relatively thin rigid plastic material, such asfibreglassreinforced polyester resin. Sheet 50 has its front marginaledge 152 formed over the segments 130 and 132 of front supporting member128 and is secured thereto in any suitable manner, as by suitableadhesive. The top marginal edge 154 of sheet is formed over the topelongated supporting member 126 and may be secured thereto with suitableadhesive. It may also be found desirable to secure the top marginal edge154 to the top supporting member 26 by spaced screws 156.

A back 158 formed of a single sheet of relatively thin rigid plasticmaterial, such as fibreglass-reinforced polyester resin is providedhaving its top marginal edge 160 secured to top elongated supportingmember 126 with suitable adhesive and also preferably with spaced screws162. The bottom marginal edge 164 of the back 158 is formed as a flangewhich initially has a slight angular inclination with respect to thebottom leg 138 of the center supporting member 134. Flange 164 issecured to leg 138 of center supporting member 134 as by suitably spacedscrews 166. It will be seen that when screws 166 are employed forpulling the flange 164 into engagement with the leg 138 of centersupporting member 134, back 158 will be bowed out slightly therebymaking it taut and less likely to be deflected or deformed by pressurethereon from the knees of the occupants of the next rearmost pew. Itwill be seen again that back 158 defines a cavity 168 with the back restportion 20. Again, a core 170 formed of suitable cellular honeycombmaterial is preferably positioned in the cavity 168.

It will now be seen that I have provided a pew assembly in which atleast the seat and back rest portions are formed of suitable plasticsheet material thus completely eliminating the previous tendency for theseat and back rest portions of wooden pews to crack. it

will further be seen that my construction lends itself to massproduction with relatively unskilled labor and also ready assembly andinstallation.

While I have illustrated and described specific embodiments of myinvention, further modifications and improvements will occur to thoseskilled in the art and I desire therefore in the appended claims tocover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope ofmy invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A pew construction comprising: two spaced, parallel, upstanding pewends, each of said pew ends having three recesses formed thereingenerally defining an L; top, center and front elongated membersspanning said pew ends and having their ends respectively seated in saidrecesses and supported thereby; a first sheet of relatively thin rigidplastic material having top and front marginal edges respectivelysecured to said top and front elongated members, said first sheet havinga curved portion engaging said center elongated member and beingsupported thereby to define seat and back rest portions; and a backformed of another sheet of relatively thin rigid plastic material havingtop and bottom marginal edges respectively secured to said top andcenter elongated members and defining :a closed cavity with said backrest portion.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said center member has a generallyL-shaped cross-section with the edges of its two legs respectivelyengaging said first sheet and with one leg generally horizontallydisposed, and wherein said back has its bottom marginal edge formed asan integral flange portion which is secured to said one leg of saidcenter member, said flange portion initially defining an angle with saidone leg of said center member whereby said back is bowed outwardly whensaid flange portion is secured to said one leg.

3. A pew construction comprising: two spaced, parallel upstanding pewends, each of said pew ends comprising an outer cover formed of moldedrelatively thin rigid plastic material, said cover having an outer sideand marginal sides defining a cavity, a generally 'L-shaped supportmember within said cavity and secured to the inner surface of said outerwall, an inner cover formed of relatively thin rigid plastic materialsecured to said marginal sides of said outer cover and closing saidcavity, said support member having three recesses formed thereingenerally adjacent the ends of its legs and the junction of its legsrespectively, said inner cover having apertures formed thereincommunicating respectively with said recesses; top, center and frontelongated members spanning said pew ends and having their endsrespectively extending through said apertures and being seated in saidrecesses, said center elongated member having a generally L-shapedcross-section with one leg thereof generally horizontally disposed; afirst sheet of relatively thin rigid plastic material having top andfront marginal edges respectively formed over and secured to said topand front elongated members, said first sheet having its center portionengaging the edges of the legs of said center clongated member and beingsupported thereby to define seat and back rest portions; and a backformed of another sheet of relatively thin rigid plastic material havingtop and bottom marginal edges, said top marginal edge of said back beingsecured to said top elongated member, said bottom marginal edge "beingformed as a flange portion engaging and secured to said one leg of saidcenter elongated member, said flange portion initially defining an anglewith said one leg of said center member whereby said back is bowedoutwardly when said flange portion is secured to said one leg; said backdefining a cavity with said back rest portion; and a core in saidlast-named cavity formed of cellular honeycomb material for preventingdistortion of said back.

4. A pew construction comprising: two spaced, parallel upstanding pewends respectively having at least one recess formed in their facingsides; and a seat assembly spanning said ends, said assembly havingportions respectively seated in said recesses and supported thereby,said assembly comprising seat and backrest portions formed of anintegral sheet of relatively thin rigid plastic material, a back portionformed of 'a sheet or" relatively thin rigid plastic material spacedfrom said backrest portion and defining a cavity therewith, said seatand backrest portions respectively having front and top marginal edges,said seat and backrest portions having a curved section joining thesame, said back portion having top and bottom marginal edges, front,center and top elongated supporting members respectively spanning saidpew ends and having their ends seated in respective recesses in said pewends and supported thereby, said front and top marginal edges of saidseat and backrest portions being respectively formed over and secured tosaid front and top supporting members and supported thereby, said backportion having its top marginal edge joined to said top marginal edge ofsaid backrest portion and its bottom marginal edge secured to saidcenter supporting member, said curved section of said seat and backrestportions engaging said center supporting member and being supportedthereby.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,762,622 Gray June 10, 1930 2,518,532 Edwards Aug. 15, 1950 2,711,786Weiss June 28, 1955 2,786,513 Hoven et al Mar. 26, 1957 2,847,061 MortonAug. 12, 1958

1. A PEW CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING: TWO SPACED, PARALLEL, UPSTANDING PEWENDS, EACH OF SAID PEW ENDS HAVING THREE RECESSES FORMED THEREINGENERALLY DEFINING AN L; TOP, CENTER AND FRONT ELONGATED MEMBERSSPANNING SAID PEW ENDS AND HAVING THEIR ENDS RESPECTIVELY SEATED IN SAIDRECESSES AND SUPPORTED THEREBY; A FIRST SHEET OF RELATIVELY THIN RIGIDPLASTIC MATERIAL HAVING TOP AND FRONT MARGINAL EDGES RESPECTIVELYSECURED TO SAID TOP AND FRONT ELONGATED MEMBERS, SAID FIRST SHEET HAVINGA CURVED PORTION ENGAGING SAID CENTER ELONGATED MEMBER AND BEINGSUPPORTED THEREBY TO DEFINE SEAT AND BACK REST PORTIONS; AND A BACKFORMED OF ANOTHER SHEET OF RELATIVELY THIN RIGID PLASTIC MATERIAL HAVINGTOP AND BOTTOM MARGINAL EDGES RESPECTIVELY SECURED TO SAID TOP ANDCENTER ELONGATED MEMBERS AND DEFINING A CLOSED CAVITY WITH SAID BACKREST PORTION.